Bag holder



June 10, 1947. S. BIRCH, JR 2,421,740

BAG HOLDER Filed Aug. 17, 1914` IN V EN TOR.

17 TTUFNE Y Patented June 10, 1947 UNITED STATES PATEN'F OFFICE BAG HOLDER Stephen Birch, Jr., Mahwah, N. J.

Application August 17, 1944, Serial No. 549,904

4 Claims.

This invention relates to holders for bags and sacks.

it is among the objects of the invention to provide a bag holder so constructed as to hold open the entire circumference of the opening of a bag. Another object is to support the mouth of an open bag without piercing or otherwise damaging the wall of the bag. Another object is to provide a bag holder which may be easily operated for receiving a bag and which is easily manipulatable to release it when lled. Another object is to provide a bag holder which is adapted for use as a portable device or which may be attached to a support which is either portable or fixed.

Further and other objects of the present invention will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanyingspecication and claims and demonstrated by the drawings which show by way orlillustration a preferred embodiment and the principle of my invention and what I now consider thebest mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle. Other embodiments of the invention employing the same principle may be used and structural changes made as desired by those skilled in the art within the spirit of the appended claims and without departing from the present invention,

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates a plan of a bag holder embodying the principle of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation View with the bagholding rings of the device displaced from one another.

The bag-holding device of the present invention includes an outer ring I and an inner ring 2 which are made of any suitable flexible material, such as spring steel. Each of the rings is split with the ends 3 and 4 of the outside ring overlapping one another, and the ends 5 and 6 of the inside ring ending short of one another. The rings are so constructed that they normally exert radial pressure towards each other ior holding a bag 'I therebetween. The rings are preferably circular and of such size as to accommodate the mouth of a bag and hold it fully open, but in View of their resiliency, the exact circumferential dimensions of the rings may be varied somewhat for accommodating bags of different sizes, although it will be apparent that because of the flexibility of the materials of which the bags are made, an over-size bag may be held almost completely open by slightly gathering the mouth.

. 2 The outside ring I is engaged with and supported by a slide member 8 by means of welds 9 running along the contacting-edgesof the ring and the bottom of the slide member. The slide member is carried by a support I0 in such a manner that it can reciprocate lengthwise of the support, A band l I, extending from the support` I0 and over the slide, guides one end of the slide and the other end of the' slide is engaged by a slot I2 in a lug I3 which extends upwardly from the support. Support` I0 also has depending therefrom another lug I3 which has-a ledge I4 underlying the lower edges of the outside ring.

Iasmuch as the end 4 ofthe outside ring is fastened to the slide member 8 and the other end `il of the outside ring `I is free to slide with respect to the xed portion of the ring, the outside ring can be contracted or expanded from its natural set by moving the free end 3. :A yoke member I5, mounted on the free end` 3, is provided for facilitating manipulation of the free end.V In most cases, however, it will not be necessary to change the natural set of the outside ring.

The inside ring 2 is attached at one end to a hinged member or bracket I6 having pivotal connection at I'I to the slide member 8. Welding seams along adjacent edges of the two members, as at I8 and I9, may be employedfor this purpose or other connecting means, such as screws, may be used. The free end 6 of the inside ring 2 is also provided with a iinger piece in the form of a yoke 20 by which it may be manipulated.

The lug I3 has such a configuration as to pro- 'vide a surface 2| against which the exterior surface of the outside ring may be abutted.` The outside ring is brought into engagement with the abutting surface 2| by displacing the slide 8 to the leftfas shown in the drawing. It will be appreciated that continued pressure of the slide towards the left will cause closing of the space 22 between the overlapping ends of the outside ring and therefore cause a frictional seizing condition which contributes to setting the circumferential dimension of the ring during a bagholding operation. If desired, the oppositely facing surfaces of the overlapping lengths of the outside ring may be roughened to increase the frictional relationship therebetween. Means are provided for holding the slide 8 in an adjusted position with respect to its support I0, and such provided onthe slide member 8 for manipulating the slide member.

When using the device, the inner ring and its hinged bracket are pivotally swung upwardly about the axis of the hinge and the mouth of the bag is fitted either over the inner ring, or is draped outwardly over the top edge of the outer ring. If the bag is of standard size for the device, or is slightly under size, it is better to engage the bag over the inner ring as illustrated in Fig. 3. The ring can be easily contracted for accomplishing this by drawing its free end 6 towards its fixed end 5. The inner ring is then lowered into the plane of the outer ring with the wall at the mouth of the bag extending between the two rings. If the bag is over-size, the operator may cause expansion of both rings by taking hold of yoke 20 or of both yokes I5 and 20 and moving the free ends ofthe rings away from their xed ends. Whether or not this isdone, and in any case, the bag will be Iseized between the two rings when they are brought together. Its seizure may be increased by contracting the outside ring, if necessary, and by moving slide 8 to the left with respect to its supporting member I and closing the space at 22. The assembly is thereby automatically locked by the ratchets and pawls.

In order to increase the frictional hold of the rings upon the bag, the rings are provided with a plurality of projections 21, 28, 29 which are opposite elongated slots 30, 3| and 32, each projection being disposed on one ring to enter into an associated slot on the other ring. The projections force portions of the bag into tight engagement with the sides of -the slots.

The support I0 may be considered as part of a vehicle frame, or as an extension from a support which stands on the ground, or it may be used for carrying the device during use.

What is claimed is:

1. A bag holder comprising an outer ring, an inner ring for engaging the inner-wall surface of the mouth of a'bag and holding the bag open with its wall between said outer and inner rings, adjustable means supporting said outer ring, means pivotallyV connected with said adjustable supporting means and engaging said inner ring so as to enable raising of said inner rin'g with respect to said outer ring, means supporting said split rings being constructed and arranged' for exerting radial pressure towards each other for holding a bag therebetween, slide means engaging the outer of said split rings, means pivotally mounted on said slide means and engaging the inner of said split rings, and a support for said slide means whereby said slide means and split rings are supported one Within the other and said inner split ring may be displaced from such interengaging position by pivotal movement of said inner split ring and said pivotally mounted means therefor with respect to said outer split ring.

' 3. A bag holder comprising a ring formed from a circular band of spring material having ends slidable with respect to each other for changing the-size kofthe ring, a second ring formed from a circular band of spring material having ends slidable with respect to each other for changing the size of the ring, said second ring being positionable within said rst ring, means supporting said first ring, and means pivotally connected with said supporting means for pivotally supporting said `second ring whereby said second ring can be disposed within said rst ring for holding the wall of an open bag between the two rings and removed from within said rst ring.

4. A bag holder comprising an outer split ring of spring material having overlapping ends adjustable with respect to each other for varying thediameter of the ring to accommodate bags of diierent sizes, a second split ring of spring material disposed within said outer ring, means having attachment to said outer ring adjacent one of its ends for supporting said ring in a substantially horizontal position, means having attachment to said vinner ring for supporting said inner ring and for permitting pivotal movement of said inner ring with respect to said outer ring, said last named means being adjustable with respect to said first named means for clamping said rings in bag holding position and for holding the overlapping ends of said outer ring in adjusted position with respect to each other.

STEPHEN BIRCH, JR.

anraannons CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent: y

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

